Although this mountain was the place of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, the Liyang Dynasty had always worshiped Taoism and suppressed Buddhism. Mount Jiuhua was located in a remote area and there were no temples or Buddhas to worship. Most importantly, Da Zhu Guo had deliberately expelled random believers, making Mount Jiuhua seem particularly lonely.
There was a Thousand Buddha Pavilion at the top of the mountain with a huge bell on the roof. The ringing of the bell here was very particular. It was rung 108 times a day, not more, not less. There were also bells in the morning and evening. Each time, it would be rung 18 times, then 18 times, then 18 times at a leisurely pace. It was repeated twice, a total of 108 times a day, which corresponded to the 24 solar terms and 72 climates in the twelfth month of the year.
After the death of the princess, Xu Xiao, who had never taken a concubine in his life, even made up his mind to never marry again. Every year, he would personally come to Thousand Buddha Pavilion at the top of the mountain and ring the bell in the morning and evening.
Before entering the mountain gate, everyone tacitly took off their armor and dismounted. Xu Xiao and Hsu Fengnian walked side by side. The four adopted sons, Yuan Zuozong, Ye Xizhen, Yao Jian and Qi Dangguo kept a distance, not daring to cross the line.
Among the four, "Zuo Xiong" was the vanguard general who could easily take the head of a general in the midst of thousands of troops. His martial arts were superb, and he was also outstanding in marching troops.
Ye Xizhen was a Confucian general who was good at scheming and strategizing behind the scenes. He was the opposite of Lu Qiu 'er who liked to scheme behind the scenes.
Yao Jian was from a side branch of Taoism and was good at searching for dragons. He always carried a "Green Capsule Scripture of Geography" with him and liked to squat on the ground and chew the soil when he was free. Qi Dangguo was the bearer of the Beiliang cavalry's flag with the word "Xu".
As for the head of the six, Chen Zhibao, he was known as the "Villain Butcher". His achievements in his life could be seen from a single leaf.
That night, the six of them stayed at the ancient temple at the top of the mountain. On the 29th day of the lunar calendar, Da Zhu Guo Xu Xiao rang the bell 108 times. Before going down the mountain, Xu Xiao and Hsu Fengnian stood in the corridor of Thousand Buddha Pavilion at dusk. Da Zhu Guo said softly, "After your coronation, you will be the one to ring the bell in the future."
Hsu Fengnian nodded.
The mountain wind suddenly rose, and the sea of clouds drifted away in the twilight. The mountain ranges and ridges were like immortal islands in the sea. The mountain wind rose again, and they were hidden in the waves of the sea of clouds. The atmosphere was majestic. Occasionally, dozens of mushroom-shaped cloud pillars would be stirred up from the sea of clouds. They would soar into the sky and slowly fall down, turning into wisps of floating clouds. This was a unique scene of Mount Jiuhua.
Xu Xiao stretched out his hand and pointed at the mysterious scene.
"Very few people can live a smooth life for decades. Ups and downs are the norm. The few officials in the imperial court who already have one foot in the coffin are no exception. Your father's glory and splendor was obtained through countless gambles, so the most taboo was for others to say that the higher one climbs, the harder one falls. He was afraid that if he fell, he would implicate the few of you and not be able to get up. Being a military general and being bestowed the title of King is already the pinnacle. Being a civil official and being a pillar of the country is also the pinnacle. This kind of monstrous honor can be counted on one's fingers in the Liyang Dynasty's history. "
In the eyes of the father and son, the scene was like the waves of the sea, like a snowball rolling on the ground.
The voice of the country's pillar of the country was mellow and honest, revealing a strong flavor unique to the Green Ant Wine.
"There are only you and me here, and at most your mother in heaven. There are no outsiders, so I'll be frank. Li Yishan was right. It's easy to succeed, but difficult to retreat. I'm already riding a tiger and can't get off.
Three years ago, the imperial court wanted to summon you to the capital. His Majesty even wanted to betroth the most favored Twelfth Princess to you. At that time, you would enter the capital and become the Prince Consort, but in reality, you would be a hostage. However, I declined and asked you to travel for three years and walk six thousand miles to shut the mouth of the imperial court. But this was still a temporary solution.
I'm waiting. If His Majesty still refuses to give up, humph! Xu Xiao killed people at the age of ten with a knife. After 40 years of military service, he hasn't read many moral articles. At that time, don't blame Xu Xiao for being disloyal and unrighteous! There are three hundred thousand Beiliang cavalry under the banner of Xu Wang. Who would dare to fight them head-on? "
With a bitter laugh Hsu Fengnian said, "Old Father, I have no interest in the Emperor's throne. You're already so old, don't work so hard to conquer the world so that your son can be the Emperor. How foolish. If I become the Emperor, it won't necessarily be more comfortable than being the Heir Apparent. "
Xu Xiao angrily said, "Then you're willing to be the dog fart Prince Consort? Like that woman surnamed Yu and become a caged sparrow? "
Hsu Fengnian rolled his eyes and said, "Even if you rebel, you can't be the Old Emperor. Liang Di has never had the feng shui of a dragon, when has there ever been a person who unified the world? "
Xu Xiao sighed and said, "Li Yishan also said the same thing. If you were just a good-for-nothing like Li Hanlin, then Father wouldn't care. There's no harm in being the Prince Consort. Living under someone else's roof, at least under the eaves of the Imperial Palace.
Before your Second Sister went to Shangyin Academy, she told me something that hit the nail on the head. A family clan looks luxuriant and graceful on the surface, but it's useless. Most of the time, it's hollow on the inside. It's especially worrying that there won't be any successors. The more wealthy and powerful a family is, the worse it will be if each generation of descendants becomes worse than the last.
That's why Father isn't afraid of you squandering money. But Fengnian, you've given Father a huge problem. Tell Father, do you have any plans to hold the Beiliang Command Seal in the future? When the time comes, your Second Sister will be the Military Advisor, and Huang Man'er will charge and break through enemy lines for you. Together with Father's six adopted sons, even if Father dies, the three hundred thousand cavalry won't fall into chaos or disperse. "
Hsu Fengnian asked in return, "What do you think?"
Xu Xiao shamelessly said, "Father is already so old, and it wasn't easy for him to accumulate such a large family fortune. You unfilial son, no matter what, shouldn't you leave Father with something to remember?"
Hsu Fengnian said boldly, "Well, that's not a problem at all. Isn't it just squandering money? That's my specialty. "
At that moment, Da Zhu Guo's hunched back seemed to quietly straighten.
… …
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
